Wind in the sails
by Mana Jones
Summary: Mary Anne wants to join Jack Sparrows crew, and she is joined by the dashing William, but there is something about the duo that is not right.
1. Chapter 1

Mary Anne stared skeptical at the door in front of her. She hardly believed this was the right place, but her guide, a little black boy, pointed firmly at the door of the pub. He seemed quite sure, so she turned the handle and walked calmly in. The worst that could happen, was that he was not here.

A strong smell of fire, gunpowder and rum hit her as soon as she was inside. The door behind her shut loudly, making every head in there turn towards her. Unable to move she just stood still and stared wide-eyed back at them until they lost interest and turned away again. A large, bearded man stood in the bar and handed out drinks in every direction while singing loudly and very out of tune. Mary Anne hesitated a little before she walked towards him, trying to look as comfortable as possible. "I am looking for Captain Jack Sparrow." She said in a clear steady voice. The barman stopped singing at once and examined her instead. "An' why's that?" Nervously she met her gaze and tried not to blink. "That is my business, thank you." He started laughing, and the men around the bar who had been listening started laughing too. "'aven't seen him in months, but you're welcome to wait fo' 'im." Mary Anne hesitated again before she nodded. "How much do I have to pay for the night then?" The men looked shocked at her. Of course they never expected a girl like Mary Anne to stay at a place like that, but she needed to hide, and the pub seemed like the best option at the time.

That night she sat down by a table inmost a corner. She was alone, and wearing an old, dirty dress in an attempt to blend in. She ate slowly while watching the surroundings. It was not much to see, only men at all ages drinking, talking and some were even fighting. It was not until she was finished with her supper, that something interesting happened. A young, handsome man entered and went straight to the bar. He talked with lowered voice to the same barman she had spoken with, before the barman suddenly pointed in her direction, saying something she could not hear. A little while later the handsome man stood by her table with two glasses of beer.

"You're looking for Sparrow?" Mary Anne looked suspicious up at him before she crossed her arms. "That is none of you concerned." Handsome he was, but his manners were nowhere to be seen. He was way to straight forward, and would not even present himself before he started talking. "Yes, it is." He sat down and smiled charmingly at her. Apparently he knew how handsome he was, and tried to use it to his advantage. Unfortunately for him, Mary Anne was used to that kind of behavior. She knew how to handle it. "No, you may not sit down; I would like to be alone. I don't want company in my search. So, go somewhere else, and take that cheap beer with you." She startled him, without doubt and he got up rather fast, but the man had another card up in his sleeve. "Not even if I told you that I know where Captain Sparrow is?" Suddenly Mary Anne showed a little interest. "Did you not just ask the barman where Sparrow is?" He shook his head. "No, I asked if there were anyone else in this bar with the same mission." "You are lying." He sat down again, with the charming smile once more over his light red lips. "I would never lie to a pretty lady like yourself." For a second she stared scared at him. Could he see it? Had he recognize her? But then she saw his expression. He did not know. He was only joking.

Mary Anne decided to let him join her. Besides, she was no longer supposed to care about the company she kept. If she was going to join Sparrow and his lot, she could just as well start with the young man. That way, the change would not be so large. "Why do you seek Jack Sparrow?" she asked and looked at him over the glass of beer. After long hesitation, she decided to accept it. At least it was not rum. He smiled casually back and drank a lot before answering. "I don't really seek Sparrow, but I think he knows where my father is." A quite common story: a young lad looking for his father at sea. She told him this and he laughed shortly. "Yes, that's true. My father actually did the same thing." When I asked him if he found his father, he shrugged. Apparently he did not know. "What do you know about him?" His smile widened and became really pretty without all the charm. "I met him once, and he's a pirate. My mum used to tell amazing stories about their adventures, but I don't she can tell the difference between stories and reality anymore. She keeps telling about a giant octopus and a Goddess named Calypso." Mary Anne smiled absentminded. She had read all the stories about Calypso and the Kraken, but none of them were true of course. She could tell that even as a little girl.

They talked like that until past midnight, but then Mary Anne stood up. "I need to go to bed, or I am afraid you have to carry me upstairs." His charming smile was there at once. "I don't mind dragging you up the stairs." She rolled her eyes. "Pirate.", his smile only widened and he stood when she left the table and went to her room. The first sign of manners he had showed all evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It did not take as long as Mary Anne thought to find Jack Sparrow. The young man, William had not been lying when he said he knew where Sparrow was. Actually, he was rather easy to find, which Mary Anne thought to be a bit odd. The entire English navy and East Indian trading company searched in vain for him, when perfectly ordinary people seemed to see him every day. Mary Anne had never been outside of London, and had no clue where they were, and she did not really trust this young man who strolled confident before her onto the docks.

"Jack Sparrow!" They were still far away, but the characteristic pirate was not hard to locate. The dark haired man looked up from the compass in his hands and smiled brightly. "Ah, come to join me crew?" He started walking towards them, but stopped quickly at the sight of Mary Anne. "Yes, as a matter of fact we have." She tried to return the smile, but he did not even glance at her. His entire attention was set upon William, no exception. His smile disappeared, and he looked gravely serious into William's eyes. "Ever been on a ship before?" William hesitated a second, then shook his head. "No, sir," he replied silently and looked quite ashamed. "Perfect!" Sparrow yelled and gestured towards the ship behind him. "Ya hired." Mary Anne looked shocked from one to the other. "What about me?" She asked and placed her hands on her hips. "I don't want a woman on my ship. There has been enough of that for a long time," Sparrow turned to her. "Sorry darling, it's nothin' personal." Mary just scowled at him. How did he managed to make such a rude rejection so charming? "I am sure you can find something I can do." To the adult pirate grinned like a little boy. "Alright missy, can ye cook?" "No," She replied and looked around. "Then you can clean." His smile widened again. He enjoyed this very much. "No, I don't really know how to do that." Her gaze turned to her shoes to hide her embarrassment. "Can you sow?" The captain crossed his arms and gave her a spotting look which turned to a condescending laughter when she shook her head. "Then there's no place for ye amongst my crew." The crew, who had followed their captain up to the two newcomers, laughed. One of them raised their hands, and showed great difficulty hiding his amusement. "I know what she can do for us." The entire crew laughed loudly again. Apparently everyone got the joke. Only Mary Anne and William exchanged confused looks. "That is not very nice." Sparrow pointed out. "Now, everyone whose part of me crew, follow me!" His eyes met Mary Anne's for a second. "The rest of ye may leave." She looked disappointed, but understood that the battle is lost. "I'm not leaving without her!" William had stopped and his gaze went from Sparrow to Mary Anne. "Fine then, you both may leave." The captain stared irritated at them for a while. "She is helping me finding my father, and we believe you are the key to that mission." Mary Anne shot a confused look at William, but he shook his head. "She needs to come with!" Jack Sparrow suddenly seemed amused again. "It didn't end very well for the last bloke who was stupid enough to look for his father with me." Jack Sparrow leaned a little back and took the sight of William in properly. "My mum used to tell stories about you. She and my father have been on many adventures with you." Sparrow listened very closely now, he even looked interested. "What was her name, then? You mum." William smiled confidently at Sparrow. "Elisabeth Turner, also known as Elisabeth Swann." A quiet whisper ran through the crew behind Sparrows back, but the captain himself did not move a muscle. "Elisabeth? Never heard that name." With that he turned around and strolled away. "Fine, ye both hired!" The smiles William and Mary Anne exchanged can be compared to the ones little children have on Christmas day.

"How was your father like?" William and Mary Anne sat alone below deck. They had not left shore yet, so there was almost nothing to do. "I can't really remember him. He came home for one day when I was ten years old, and that was it." "He was a sailor?" Mary Anne studied William's pretty and thoughtful face. "Well of course. Why would I look for him at sea if he wasn't a sailor?" A smile flashed over his face before it disappeared again. "My mother used to tell stories, but I don't think she can tell the difference between fantasy and reality anymore." This woke some curiosity in Mary Anne and she leaned towards him, curios as she was. "She believes they actually fought against a giant octopus, and a sea-goddess." Mary Anne smiled faintly. She had heard these stories before. The Kraken and Calypso were both very popular characters in legends and fairytales, but they had never existed, of course. She told this to William, and a shadow spread over his face. It pained him very much to see his mother fade like that into a world of fantasy. Mary Anne wanted to comfort him, but she did not know what to say. "Come, let us go up in the sun and get some fresh air, maybe we will leave soon."


End file.
